Mass Shooting Statistics – List By Year

For all of the gun-control uproar that we hear from the media, you would think that mass shooting statistics would reveal some seriously threatening numbers. Entire cities being wiped out. However that isn’t quite the case.

In fact, as is often the case (and the list of mass shootings at the end of this article bears it out), there is a colossal gap between the real data versus perceived threat, thanks in large part to the progressive machine which includes politicians and the media.

Mass Shooting Statistics Explored

There have been a total of 816 deaths in mass killings… since 1982.

In the gun control mecca, Chicago, they had 943 murders in 1992 alone! In one year!

Nearly as many people died in boating accidents last year as have died from all mass killings in over 35 years! In one year, 2014, there were an incredible 4,884 pedestrians killed in the U.S.. What the what? Almost 7 times as many pedestrians are killed, in one year, as ALL mass shootings in almost 4 decades?

In 2016 there were 71 mass shooting deaths, 49 of which came at the hands of Islamic extremist Omar Mateen during the Orlando nightclub shooting. The average has been about 8.5 deaths per year from mass killing. That’s the truth of mass shooting statistics that you won’t hear from the progressive propaganda machine.

In 2016 alone 14,800 people died from prescription opioid overdoses. Every day 6 people die from alcohol poisoning. In 2013 there were 678,932 victims of child abuse and neglect reported to Child Protective Services.

In 1999 the Institute of Medicine published a report titled “To Err is Human: Building A Safer Health System“, and in it they reveal that at least 44,000 people, but maybe as high as 98,000, die every year due to medical errors in hospitals, probably many more if you include clinics and offices.

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So much loss of life and suffering goes on in this country, yet from the national media what we hear about is the need for gun control, and how bad the mass shooting statistics are. Those 20 deaths a year are a top priority for progressives. Never mind the fact that the same energy put elsewhere could save thousands and thousands of lives.

For progressives, the ones at the top, not the weak-minded followers who are just trying their best to be cool and loved, the gun control movement is about control and power. It’s about conforming to euro-standards because, well, Europeans are cool, don’t you know. Shhh, don’t tell them, but you don’t see many U.S. progressives packing up and moving to Europe, but the euros sure love to move here. Hmmm, and we should emulate them, why?

For the rest of us, it’s about preserving the greatest nation the world has ever seen and maintaining the free rebel spirit that made us so great.

Here’s some more ways to die, other than in a shooting spree, by the numbers and based on 2014 CDC[1] and FBI[2] data.

Types of deaths in 2014 by cause:

Drug Induced – 49,714

Alcohol Induced – 30,722

Accidental Poisoning – 42,032

Accidental Falls – 33,018

Accidental Pedestrian Deaths – 6,258

Death by Malnutrition – 3,933

Drowning – 3406

Murdered with knives – 1,567

Killed while bicycling – 902

Murdered with hands, fists or feet – 660

Boating Accident – 610 (U.S. Coast Guard)

Unintentional Machinery Deaths – 605

Murdered with blunt objects (clubs, hammers, etc…) 435

During Robbery – 565

Unintentional Cuts – 109

Murdered by Asphyxiation – 96

Murdered by Strangulation – 89

During Burglary – 77

Getting a Salmonella Infection – 45

Death by Babysitter – 37

During a Motor Vehicle Theft – 25

During Rape – 23

By Arson – 22

In a Mass Shooting – 18

Anyone with even a modicum of common sense could look at the real issue here and see that the progressive gun control movement is totally bogus and not based one bit on public safety. How can such “enlightened” people not see the real power-grabbing issue at work?

I’ve included a list of mass shootings by year at the end of this article for your reference.

What Is A Mass Shooting

Definition of a Mass Shooting

Our definition is a composite of the definitions used by others, such as the F.B.I. and MotherJones.com.

What is the definition of a mass shooting?

“The death of three or more people in a single incident which didn’t arise out of gang violence or a conventional criminal activity such as robbery, and didn’t occur as domestic violence in the home.“

Some sources like “EveryTownResearch.org” cite that their threshold for the number of deaths is four (4). They all exclude gang violence or domestic violence killings which happen in the home.

We need to clearly define this tool of media mass hysteria so we can present the more recent mass shooting statistics correctly. In order to be more inclusive we’ve adopted the lower threshold of 3 deaths for an event to be classified as a mass shooting incident.

Mental Health And Mass Shootings – A Revelation

Mental Health and Mass Shootings

For a lot of people, especially progressive politicians and their media groupies, mental health and mass shootings go hand in hand. Of course. And so passing laws that might prevent potentially mentally ill people from handling weapons make sense… to them.

And spending billions of dollars to revamp the mental health system, as Obama promised, well, that makes sense, too.

“Four assumptions frequently arise in the aftermath of mass shootings in the United States: (1) that mental illness causes gun violence, (2) that psychiatric diagnosis can predict gun crime, (3) that shootings represent the deranged acts of mentally ill loners, and (4) that gun control “won’t prevent” another Newtown (Connecticut school mass shooting). Each of these statements is certainly true in particular instances. Yet, as we show, notions of mental illness that emerge in relation to mass shootings frequently reflect larger cultural stereotypes and anxieties about matters such as race/ethnicity, social class, and politics. These issues become obscured when mass shootings come to stand in for all gun crime, and when “mentally ill” ceases to be a medical designation and becomes a sign of violent threat.“

That’s not to say that the AJPH article endorsed a pro-gun stance, or one that implies that gun control is bad. However, my point in citing this excerpt is to highlight the extent to which the media will use whatever it can to heighten the hype. Including embellishing mass shooting statistics.

Specifically, whenever there’s a mass shooting today the media talking heads start crying about the poor mental health of the suspect, and how we need more gun control, as if there’s a correlation between mental health and mass shootings.

If a person can go to any street corner and buy crack cocaine, then they can go there and buy a gun, too, period. Laws don’t stop crack anymore than they’d stop people from getting a gun.

If you’ve read anything about Randy Stair, the Weis Market Shooter (Pennsylvania) who killed three people and then himself on June 7, 2017, you could clearly see that he was mentally distraught, but that he also had full and clear thought about his actions and conversely, their consequences (the pain, anguish and death).

This 24-year-old documented his eventual killing spree over the course of months, if not years. Below is a video he created to his parents, titled “goodbye”.

I’m very sympathetic to those who lost their lives and their families, but we can’t hide from reality of mass shooting statistics by tucking it away. You can do a Google search for many of his other videos.

While he was mentally distraught, there’s nothing overly graphic in the Stair video below that caught my attention so it’s relatively safe to watch, though disturbing for some since he’s obviously no longer alive.

Mental health-related firearm laws wouldn’t have prevented this kid from his plan on a suicidal exit; he explicitly wanted to be included in (no, his goal was to be atop) mass shooting statistics, he wanted to be famous (hence his “stage name” Andrew Blaze). He was bent on his own demise and taking innocent lives with him.

That’s the case with so many unfortunate events like this one. When you check out the list of mass shootings at the bottom take the time to click on the links an learn more about the state of mind of the mass shooters.

Stair stated that he idolized the Columbine shooters, so we can safely blame the media and Hollywood, too, for exposing more kids to things that they hadn’t ought to be exposed to.

Kids can’t drive at a young age for a reason. Kids can’t drink alcohol at a young age. Yet somehow progressives think it’s alright to bombard them with violence and sexuality explicit music and movies every day. They can handle it.

On Mental Health And Mass Shootings, Some Experts Agree

In fact, many experts agree. With a majority of these mass murders, there’s not much that could be done to prevent them due in part to their sheer randomness.

Check out The Anatomy of Evil

Michael Stone, who is a forensic psychiatrist at the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, and who wrote the book, The Anatomy of Evil, had this to say about liberal attempts to revamp the mental health system in an effort to criminalize away mass shootings by limiting access to firearms by those suspected of mental illness. He writes:

“It would be ridiculous to hope that doing something about the mental-health system will stop these mass murders. It’s really folly.”

And he’s not alone. In fact, it’s mostly the politicians who are looking for another stump topic that push the progressive gun control agenda, and then of course their media and Hollywood darlings fall in line, and so the fiasco is born. Mass shooting statistics don’t matter to them.

Here’s an excerpt from a research paper titled “Mass Shootings and Mental Illness“, written by James L. Knoll IV, M.D. and George D. Annas, M.D., M.P.H., and published by the American Psychiatric Association.

“Mass shootings by people with serious mental illness represent less than 1% of all yearly gun-related homicides. In contrast, deaths by suicide using firearms account for the majority of yearly gun-related deaths.

The overall contribution of people with serious mental illness to violent crimes is only about 3%. When these crimes are examined in detail, an even smaller percentage of them are found to involve firearms.“

List of Mass Shootings In The U.S. By Year

Below is a complete list of mass shootings by year which have occurred since 1982, and which meet the guidelines of a mass shooting spree (3 or more people killed, and don’t involve gang activity).

Our goal was to write an article and include mass shootings statistics last 30 years, but as you go back in time accurate data becomes difficult to find.

What immediately comes to mind is that the mass shooting statistics don’t necessarily pair well with the progressive agenda of scare tactics used on a large-scale to push for more gun control.

In fact, the well-regarded site, MotherJones.com, wrote the following:

“Even as these mass shootings have grown more frequent and loom large in our consciousness, they are a tiny fraction of America’s gun violence and remain relatively rare. Yet many news outlets keep declaring that there have been upwards of “355 mass shootings this year” or “more than one mass shooting per day.”

Many gun control advocates say the same.

This wildly inflated statistic isn’t just misleading the public—it’s stirring undue fear and may be encouraging bad policies.“

Even during the period of time when there was an “assault” weapons ban, we had mass shootings. Don’t get me going on the whole “assault” silliness.

Total deaths per year as a result of mass shootings. 1982 – 2016 Source: Wikipedia

Yes, looking at mass shooting statistics worldwide the United States does have a higher rate of incidence. However, we’ve also got Hollywood and Hip Hop fueling the flames of corruption, violence and hatred.

So look over the list of mass shootings below and feel free to visit any of the links to learn more about these deranged American mass murderers.

And be sure to Like and Share this list of mass shooting statistics. Finally, what do you think about firearm crime and the current or proposed firearm laws?

This is a comprehensive table of Mass Shooting Statistics since 1982 using government data and other reliable sources. If you find and missing or incorrect information please let us know so we can update this list.

About The Author

Bob

I spent most of my early career in law enforcement, working as a Deputy Sheriff, Police Officer, and later as the County Sheriff. I left law enforcement to attend graduate school and entered the private sector as a senior executive in safety and security. These days I'm a consultant, writer, blogger, and web developer.

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I'm a Democrat like JFK.He was a Lifetime NRA member.The radical left has steered our party so far away from common sense values that JFK would be sick to his stomach. It was a radical leftist (Oswald) that killed him.

"The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered as the palladium of the liberties of a republic; since it offers a strong moral check against usurpation and arbitrary power of rulers; and will generally, even if these are successful in the first instance, enable the people to resist and triumph over them."